The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-12
LEARNING A BEAUTIFUL ART.
Craze Among Women About Faionce
Decoration-How II Is Taught.

Decoration-How 1t 10 Taught.
From the New York Mail.
"The craze for young women Just now, !"
said gentleman connected with COM
pany that manufactures faicence ware, lis
to show in their parlors pieces OF decorated
work done by themselves. So great has
been the interest on the part OF women in
faionce work, and so many have been the
applications for instruction in the art that
we opened school in the decorative de-
partment OF our mandatory. IL is only
natural that the work the ladies desire 10
do is OF the kind that we call fantasia
work, which is the carrying out on pot
terry OF designs of their own fancy, such
as the transplanting OF flowers, birds and
like subjects Orchids are very much in
vogue for this sort Of work. The begin
ner first does the decoration in color, and,
after more experience, in gold"
'What are the requirements oil young
woman necessary to begin this work3'
"Any lady, young or old, who possesses
little aptitude for the work, and an ordi-
nary amount Of industry and perseverance,,
can become fairly proficient in lew les
sons, even il she has never done anything
OF the kind before. | don't mean 10 be
understood as saying that she, in this short
period, could produce what would be
known as an art piece, but she could do
something that she would not be ashamed
OF as n home ornament. Many ask me II
IL IL not necessary TO have knowledge OF
drawing in orlcr TO become proficient in
decorating pottery. tell them II IL not.
know that in this We do not agree with
many OF the schools Of decorative art, but,
nevertheless, We believe that II is SO, and
cab furnish examples ol fine work done IN
the art by women who know nothing oil
drawing"
"What il your course OF Instruction.
"rhe iirst thing 10 learn is the proper
use of colors and brushes. The work is
done chiefly in what is known ~ mineral
colors. by the proper use Of c0lor moan
the use oil them in their uniircd state,
when they do not show the shades which
they do after they have been put through
the firing process Then the pupil must
learn the proper shading, 10 that she may
not put the Colors on too thin or too
thick. Next comes what Is known us ro-
iation. This Is the order in which the
colOr5 are to be used TO admit OF their be-
ing fired in proper succession. Certain
colors require n greater degree Of heat 20
melt them than others. Thus IL IL that
those requiring the least heat must bc both
applied and fired last. After this is
learned. painting in Hat gold and colorcd
bronzcs is taken up. Flat gold is the term
used for gold applied upon the body or
surface OF an article ~ distinguished from
that applied To the raised work. The last
eourso In the instruction is the use or the
working in .raised gold, in which is in
dufed instruction IA 10 the uso OF the
paste which forms the basis OF the raised
work. The chief difficulty which the
amateur has 10 overcome IL the proper
graduation OF the quantity Of paste and
gold applied 10 the object, rs the applying
OF either too little or too muchwil necessi-
tate going over the entire work again"
GLOW long does II take pupil TO be-
come thus proficient
"Thc iiTst rudiments Of china painting,
by which mean knowledge sufficient TO
enable tho pupil 10 do fair piece OF work
can 10 learned In from six TO twelve les
sons. But specially apt pupil can learn
the whole art in twelve lessons. With
lessons continuing three and four hours,
II II evident that a great deal can be
learned ii proper attention "a paid 10 all
instructions We have some amateurs in
our school who are doingcxcecdingly good
work decorating pieces that would be
crcditable ornaments in any parlor. Many
Of them are married women. All the pu-
pills after they discover what they can do
aud the rapid progress they can make in
u short time become most earnest and en-
thusiaslic over their work. Four ladies'
come every day and work from / o'clock
in the morning to i:3O O'Clock in the after
noon. Two oi them have dccoai, d large
vases of Egyptian design that were twenty
six inches high. The chief decoration ON
one OF these was large roses aud leaves Of
gold, and on the other Dresden blue
hoIy ,yitlpold -